Mike Dodds confirms the Sunderland striker 'definitely' in contention after making significant improvements

Mike Dodds says that Luis Hemir is in line for more playing time at Sunderland after making significant strides behind the scenes on Wearside.

The striker has struggled for regular game time since his summer switch from Benfica, but looked a threat in his cameo from the bench against Swansea City last weekend. Dodds says he feels that improved performance level is no coincidence, saying the 20-year-old has worked hard to improve his fitness levels in recent times. Dodds says the striker faced a major challenge in adjusting to the intensity of Championship football and is now beginning to show his potential.

While Dodds believes the striker can still improve on that front, he says the progress is very encouraging and will mean more opportunities in the near future. With Sunderland about to play three games in seven days, Dodds says he is 'definitely' in his thinking to start a game.

"He's definitely in the thinking, because we're going to have to utilise the squad across these three games and he is definitely pushing harder than he probably has done before," Dodds said.

"First and foremost, he is just a lovely kid. He's come here because he wants to accelerate his career and he's got real pedigree at youth level. He's taken some time to adapt to life in England, he's a 20-year-old boy who has come over by himself having never left his own country. Sometimes, those boys just need a little bit of time. He's a wonderful finisher, he's still got to get fitter but he has improved on that and I think that's why you see the level of his performance improve in the recent games where he has come on. I think there's a definite correlation between him getting fitter and his performance level improving.

"There's a still a lot of a development in that area and I've had that conversation with him, but we think really, really highly of him as a footballer," he added.

"He's going to be a huge asset for the football game and he will definitely be in the thinking for the next few games, definitely."